If you get someone to visit your website or click on your PPC campaign, you don’t want to blow it in the home stretch─the landing page.

A landing page is a web page that directs people to take a very specific action. It can be to subscribe to a newsletter, register as a user, create an account, download an ebook, sign up for a free trial, schedule a consultation, or simply buy a product or service.

Well-designed, optimized landing pages can increase conversions and get customers to take the action that you want. A poorly designed one can hurt your brand image, cost you revenue and potential customers. Not to mention, if you are running an ad campaign, you could be pouring funds into and throwing away possible leads to a landing page that doesn’t convert.

To create more engaging landing pages that produce the conversions that you want, follow these best practices.

1. Include one straightforward call-to-action.

The most fundamental aspect of an effective landing page is a clear, compelling call-to-action (CTA). What do you want users to do? Don’t try to be mysterious or beat around the bush. You really have to spell it out for them. Show and tell visitors what you want them to do in your CTA.

Your call-to-action should be in the form of a clickable button that you can track. Preferably, it will be one of the first items that people notice on the page, along with the headline.

Focus on one action. Don’t ask users to sign up for your newsletter, request a consultation and view your demo all in one. Limit yourself to one CTA per page.

2. Avoid clutter.

When it comes to landing pages, less is more. Don’t fill the page with images, media or blocks of text that overpower and distract visitors from your message. All the visuals and images on your page should serve a specific purpose.

You need to design it with the mindset that most people have short attention spans, are easily distracted, and generally impatient. Clutter can get in the way of your message. If they can’t figure out what you want them to do within the first few seconds, they probably won’t do anything except close the window. One way to declutter your pages as much as possible is to do multiple drafts and continue editing and cutting them down until only the most important elements left.

3. Grab their attention.

If you really want people to take action, appeal to their emotions or create a sense of urgency. Don’t list benefits. Instead, focus on how their action will help solve a problem or fill a need.

A nonprofit that combines all those elements perfectly is charity: water. Their landing pages show exactly how many people will receive clean water, depending on how much money you donate. They show the emotional and tangible impact of your action.

Businesses can also create a sense of urgency by creating landing pages for limited-time deals or one-time offers. The time-constrained nature motivates people to act fast.

4. Place images and visuals strategically.

Compelling images can tell a story and help people connect with your brand and message. However, if you use too many visuals, they can easily become clutter.

Remember, visuals are meant to enhance the story, but also create a path for the viewer’s eye to follow. The path leads to the action, or more specifically the CTA button.

5. Think about color.

We tend to associate certain colors with different qualities and attributes. The interpretation may change depending on culture and location. Green may be associated with jealousy in the United States, but in France the color of jealousy is yellow. Colors may not play the most important role in your landing page conversions, but it would be unwise to overlook them.

When creating pages, keep your brand style and colors in mind. It doesn’t have to look like an exact replica of your logo, but it should still reflect your business. Colors can also be used to direct viewers to the most important parts. Make sure that your CTA button is bright and stands out from the rest of the page.

A customer testimonial or a product demo can both be engaging videos to include on your webpage. Testimonials give you credibility from a third-party source and make people more likely to trust your business. Product video demos help potential customers learn more about your business and how the process works.

7. Track it.

If you are using a landing page for a particular campaign or PPC advertising, it is essential that you are tracking it with links. You need to know your conversion rates. How many people filled out a form? Bought a product or clicked on your CTA button?

In order to measure the efficacy of your landing pages, you should establish a tracking system. A well-designed landing page will be useless if you can’t see what actions people are taking when they view it or it they take action at all. One way to do this is by using Google Analytics. There are a number of tools that can be used to track different behaviors. You can set different conversion goals and track clicks, page views or time spent on the page.

8. Test it.

Experiment with different versions to see which produced the results you are looking for. To test the effectiveness of landing pages, many businesses will use A/B testing. Create two versions of a landing page, track the conversion rates overtime and compare the results to determine which performs the best.

Creating more landing pages can also improve your overall campaign success. According to Hubspot, companies that increase their number of landing pages by 10 to 15 receive 55% more leads.

If you are still stuck on how to design landing pages for your business, look to brands that consistently create high converting campaigns. For example, Apple’s pages reflect the sophisticated and clean design commonly associated with the brand. By eliminating clutter, they direct the focus to the call-to-action. Another brand that you can look to for inspiration is Squarespace. Their “Get Started” call-to-action on the homepage is simple, gets right to the point and is visually appealing.

The most effective landing pages consider design aesthetic, website optimization, and marketing all in one. These tips will help you build landing pages that resonate with visitors and increase conversions, but don’t get comfortable. Businesses need to test and iterate frequently to remain competitive. You should continuously test and hone your messages and design to ensure that is as relevant and effective as possible.

Crafting landing pages and monitoring their success can seem like a rigorous task, but it is essential to your bottom line. Investing in optimized landing pages, can generate leads and increase conversions. For a business owner, it can be hard to find the time to dedicate to it though. If you could use an extra hand or if you want to learn more about building effective landing pages and campaigns, contact 10twelve and find out how we can help.